Will face first trial in Virginia

Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

A Connecticut judge has agreed to extradite a man suspected in rapes along the East Coast from Connecticut to Virginia.

New Haven Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano said Monday he would proceed with the extradition of Aaron Thomas.

Thomas was arrested in March in his hometown of New Haven. Authorities say DNA confirmed that he is responsible for rapes and other attacks on 17 women from Virginia to Connecticut over the span of a decade.

Virginia prosecutors petitioned to have Thomas face trial first in their state, and Connecticut officials agreed to the extradition request.

Thomas pleaded not guilty in March to a charge of raping a woman in New Haven in 2007.